Since Kansas became the first state outside of Tennessee to join Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program nearly two decades, roughly 4 million free books have gone into the hands of Kansas children.
More recently, the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation partnered with the Imagination Library to mail free books to kids and families inside the district.
Now, every child in Kansas 5 years old and younger will be able to enroll in the country music legend’s free book delivery program, with the help of a new $1.5 million state grant from the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund.
Parton herself used a visit to Overland Park on Monday to celebrate the milestone, along with state officials, including Gov. Laura Kelly.
All Kansas kids 5 and under can now get free books
- Parton started the Imagination Library 1995, intending to get high-quality books into the hands of kids growing up in Parton’s home state of Tennessee.
- A decade later, the program expanded outside Tennessee for the first time with an Imagination Library in Pratt, Kansas, in 2005.
- Children enrolled in the program can receive free age-appropriate books every month from birth until their 5th birthday, making 60 books in total over five years.
- Today, the program encompasses all 105 counties in Kansas — making Kansas the 15th state to establish statewide coverage.
- “Promoting early childhood development has been one of my top priorities,” Kelly said. “(This program) will pay dividends for all Kansans in every corner of the state.”
Kelly declared Aug. 14 “Dolly Parton Day” in Kansas
- At an event Monday at the White Theatre on the Aspiria campus in south Overland Park, Kelly talked with Parton on stage, lauding the singer’s efforts at promoting childhood literacy in Kansas and beyond.
- She also presented Parton with a proclamation declaring Aug. 14 “Dolly Parton Day” in Kansas.
- Following the proclamation, Parton performed two songs for the crowd — “Coat of Many Colors” and “Try”, the latter of which she said serves as a theme song of sorts for the Imagination Library program.
Parton started the program as a tribute to her father
- Parton on Monday told a crowd of about 500 about how her father, Robert Lee Parton, was very smart but always “troubled” by his inability to read or write.
- She said this taught her the importance of reading from an early age, which is something she hopes to impart to children across the country through her Imagination Library.
- “It’s just one of those things that has started out for the right reasons, and it’s continued for the right reasons,” she said.
- Now 77, the music icon believes in “putting your money where your heart is” and has contributed to several philanthropic efforts — something she plans to continue doing in addition to her extensive musical career.
- “I wake up with new dreams every day and new thoughts every day, and I’ll continue dreaming,” she said. “I love to share, I’ve been blessed and I’m in every position to share.”
- In total, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library boasts having gifted nearly 214 million books worldwide over the past three decades.
Go deeper: Find more information about the Imagination Library program here. You can also enroll in the program through this form.
